Railroad-gate



(No Model.) 2 She'etsSheet 1.

D. 0. THOMAS.

RAILROAD GATE.

WITNESSES, INVENTOR,

N, PETERs Pholvulhug uphon Washmgmn. u, c.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

UV VEJV'TOR Patented Mar. 19, 1889.

D. O. THOMAS.

RAILROAD GATE.

(No Model.)

N PETERS. Phmcumo m hnr. Washingion, D. C.

lUNirnn S rarns DAVID C. THOMAS,

Parent OFFICE.

OF TRIMBLE, OHIO.

RAI LROAD-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,947, dated March 19, 1889.

Application filed December 20, 1888. Serial No. 294,220. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DAVID C. THOMAS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at 'lrimble, in the county of Athens and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad Gates or Doors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it apperta-ins'to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automatically operating railroad gates or doors; and it consists in the novel construction and arrangement or combination of the parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

The object of my invention is to provide a railroad gate or door adapted for use on the track running through open country, or in connection with a roundhouse or other purpose, having mechanism automatically operated by the wheels of the cars to open and close the said doors. I attain this object by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like letters of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved apparatus shown applied to a section of railroad. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the improved apparatus. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of a part of one of the levers and their connecting pintle-rod.

B B represent two uprights secured to two of the ties and connected bya top cross-beam. The said uprights are braced by beams attached to each side thereof and resting on the ground. Hinged to said uprights are doors A and A, which clear the rails R and R, passing between the uprightsB and under said doors. The upper part of the door A has an angle-iron, a, secured thereto, one end of which is formed with a vertical pin, (0 The upper part of door A has a vertical pin, a, secured thereto. The said pins a and a are engaged and the doors connected by 'a curved bar, A having apertured ends. The lower hinge of door A has a projecting arm, A the outer end of which is apertured, and in this aperture a ring, a or its equivalent, is mounted.

Between the ends of rails R, on each side of the gate or door, slotted bars rare mounted on ties T and T, which project outward from one side of the said bars. On the outer ends of said ties blocks or strips 25 are mounted on the outside edge of a buried shield or guidebox, Z), which runs from one block or strip 6 to the other. Levers L are mounted in the slots of and pivoted to said bars 1' by the reduced ends Z of rods Z. The said reduced ends of the rods Z project through to and be yond the inner flat sides of said levers L, for a purpose hereinafter set forth. The reduced ends Z of said rods l have lugs Z on each, which engage with lugs Z arranged on each side of the aperture for said reduced ends of the rods in the said levers L. The lower ends of the levers L depend into and are partially inclosed by a buried box, I), situated below each of the bars 4'. The rods Z project outward, and their opposite reduced ends pass through and pivotally attach levers L to the blocks or strips 15. The lower ends of the levers L depend down into and are partially inclosed by the box I). By this means of connection the pairs of levers L and L are simultaneously and similarly operated or thrown down in either one of two directions.

Between the bars '1, on the inside of rail R and close thereto, a long metallic strip, O, is located and pivoted to levers c, which in turn are pivoted to the said rail. The strip C should be somewhat longer than the distance between the rear set of wheels of the forward truck of a car and the front set of wheels of' the rear truck, and its two ends should be bent downward, as shown, to allow the wheels to ride or travel thereupon. The two levers c depend below their pivotal points, and are inclosed and work in boxes O, situated thereunder. The lower ends of said levers c are connected by cords or cables 3 to the extended reduced ends 1 of the rods l. The top end of one lever L has a cord or cable, 1, secured -thereto, which runs'down through box I), and

is secured to the lower end of the other lever L. The lower end of the lever L, to the upper end of which the cord or cable 1 is secured, has a cord or cable, 2, connected thereto, which runs upward and is connected to the ring a of the arm A formed with the lower hinge of the door A, and continues on and is attached to the upper.end of the opposite lever L. By means of these cords or cables the several levers and door A are connected and caused to act simultaneously.

In operation, if a train or car runs toward the gate or door in the direction of the arrow, the levers L are thrown down by the forward wheels of the front car-truck and simultaneously therewith the levers L. The cords or cables 1 and 2 are drawn taut on one side and slackened on the other, and, acting on the arm A of the lower hinge of door A, the said doors A and A are thrown open. As soon as the door A begins to open, the bar A connected to door A, by drawing on the angleiron a, secured to the door A, simultaneously opens the latter door. By the same means said doors are also simultaneously closed. The wheels of the trucks passing over the righthand lever L will immediately strike the metallic strip 0, and thereby. continue to hold the doors open. The rear set of wheels of the last truck passing off of the strip 0 will allow said strip 0 to rise, as the levers 0 thereof are constructed heavy enough at their lower ends to overcome the weight of the said strip and of the levers L and L. This rising of the said strip C will cause the levers L and L to rise, and the rear set of wheels of the last truck after leaving the strip 0 will strike the lefthand lever L and throw it down in the opposite direction, and thereby close the doors through the several connections, as before set forth.

Gates or doors of this form are especially useful in aiding to run live stock off the track,

as, coming up adjacent to the closed doors, they will turn from the track upon seeing their progress blocked.

I do not limit myself to the form of doors shown, as open-work gates may be as readily and efiiciently used and operated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an automatically-operated railroadgate, the combination of the doors or gates having a top connection, and one of which has an outwardly-projecting arm from the lower hinge thereof, the rails having slotted bars therein, the levers mounted in said slotted bars and connected to similar levers arranged at a distance from and parallel therewith, the cords or cables running from the outer levers to the arm of the one door, and the metallic strip on the inside of one trackrail attached to levers which are connected to the aforesaid levers, substantially as described.

2. In an automatically-operating railroad door or gate, the combination of the double doors connected to operate simultaneously, one of which has a projecting arm, the slotted bars arranged on each side of the doors in one line of rail, the double throw-levers, one of each pair of which is mounted in said slotted bars, the metallic strip inside of one rail between the throw-levers, attached to and supported by other levers, and the cords or cables connecting the several levers with themselves and the projecting arm of the one door, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID C. THOMAS.

Witnesses:

J. O. HEADLEY, R. W. TINKER. 

